JP4937292B2 - Vehicle operation management system, operation management device, and operation management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for managing the operation of a traffic system that operates along a predetermined route.

  Traffic systems such as buses and trams operate on a predetermined route according to a predetermined operation plan. However, these buses and trams are operated together with automobiles on roads on which automobiles run, unlike trains operated on dedicated routes. For this reason, it may be operated in a state greatly deviated from a predetermined operation plan due to a traffic jam or a traffic accident. In addition, operating conditions are greatly affected by the effects of rainfall and snowfall. As described above, there is a system for managing the operation of a bus whose operation state is greatly influenced by disturbance.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-229496

  However, conventional systems have not been able to fully reflect the impact on traffic conditions due to road congestion, traffic accidents, and disturbances such as rain and snow. It was also very expensive. Such a problem is not limited to buses and trams, but is widely used for traffic systems that operate along a predetermined route, and whose operating conditions can be affected by disturbance.

  The present invention has been made in order to deal with at least a part of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to appropriately manage operation in a traffic system that operates along a predetermined route.

The present invention can be realized as the following forms or application examples.
The operation management system which is a 1st form is an operation management system of a vehicle, Comprising: The terminal device mounted in the said vehicle, The operation management apparatus comprised so that communication with the said terminal device is possible, and manages the operation of the said vehicle And the terminal device obtains first information indicating the current position of the terminal device, and obtains second information representing at least one of surrounding sounds and images in the terminal device; wherein the said traffic control device, the current position of the means for the first information and the second information received from the terminal device, the terminal device shown in the first information received from the terminal device If, on the basis of the at least one of the ambient sound and image in the terminal device shown in the second information, and means for identifying the position of said vehicle, based on the second information, the Means for determining at least one of a state of a path along which both travel and a state of the vehicle; a position of the vehicle specified based on the first information and the second information; and the second information. And a means for determining an estimated arrival time at which the vehicle should move based on at least one of the state of the route and the state of the vehicle determined based on the above .

[Application Example 1]
A vehicle operation management system operated along a predetermined route,
A vehicle terminal mounted on the vehicle;
An operation management device that determines an estimated arrival time of the vehicle to a predetermined position on the route based on information from the vehicle terminal;
The vehicle terminal is
A position acquisition unit capable of generating main position information representing the current position of the vehicle terminal;
A voice input unit capable of receiving voice input by a passenger of the vehicle;
A vehicle communication unit capable of transmitting information to the operation management device;
The vehicle communication unit is controlled to transmit the main position information to the operation management device, and information related to the position of the vehicle input by voice via the voice input unit is transmitted to the operation management device as sub-position information. A vehicle terminal control unit capable of transmitting,
The operation management device is
A route network information storage unit for storing route network information representing a set of the route and a standard time required for the vehicle to travel the route;
A management communication unit capable of receiving information from the vehicle terminal;
Based on at least one of the main position information and the sub position information while receiving at least one of the main position information and the sub position information from the vehicle terminal via the management communication unit and referring to the route network information. A management control unit capable of determining the estimated time of arrival at the predetermined position.

  In such an aspect, not only the main position information but also the sub position information obtained from the vehicle occupant can be used to determine the position on the vehicle route and the estimated arrival time. For this reason, auxiliary information corresponding to the actual situation can be obtained from the passenger of the vehicle, and the expected arrival time can be determined. Therefore, according to said aspect, compared with the aspect which determines the arrival time based only on main position information, the arrival arrival time close | similar to a later actual arrival time can be determined. As a result, according to the said aspect, the operation of a vehicle can be managed reflecting the influence on the operation state of a vehicle by disturbance.

The data for storing “information” can be data in an arbitrary format. For example, the vehicle terminal control unit transmits “sub-position information” to the operation management device by transmitting data obtained by performing predetermined processing on the audio data obtained via the audio input unit. May be. Further, the vehicle terminal control unit may transmit “sub-position information” to the operation management device by transmitting “voice data” itself.
Furthermore, transmission of a plurality of types of information may be performed individually, or may be performed by generating one data storing a plurality of types of information and transmitting the one data.

Further, in the present specification, the “vehicle” is not limited to a moving object having wheels. That is, the “vehicle” includes a ship, an aircraft, and a linear motor car that moves up from the ground. That is, the vehicle may be anything that can move with a person on it.
The “predetermined position on the route” is preferably a point where the vehicle should stop for passengers to get on and off.
Information can be transmitted and received via a communication line. This communication line is preferably a mobile phone line or the Internet.

[Application Example 2]
An operation management system of Application Example 1,
The vehicle terminal control unit is information input through the voice input unit by controlling the vehicle communication unit, and is at least one of a state of a route on which the vehicle is moving and a state of the vehicle Information related to the operation management device as audio status information,
The said management control part is an operation management system which determines the said arrival time further based on the said audio | voice state information, when the said audio | voice state information is received from the said vehicle terminal.

  In such an aspect, the predicted arrival time can be determined using not only the main position information and sub-position information regarding the position of the vehicle terminal but also the voice state information regarding the route and the vehicle state. For this reason, it is possible to determine the estimated arrival time based on the voice state information in consideration of the influence of the disturbance on the operation state. Therefore, it is possible to determine the estimated arrival time that is closer to the actual arrival time than in the aspect in which the estimated arrival time is determined based only on the main position information and the sub position information representing the current position of the vehicle terminal.

[Application Example 3]
An operation management system according to application example 1 or 2,
The vehicle terminal further includes an output unit capable of calling attention of a passenger of the vehicle,
The vehicle terminal control unit inputs information on the position of the vehicle via the voice input unit via the output unit when the main position information cannot be acquired for a predetermined first time or longer. It is an operation management system that prompts passengers of

  With such an aspect, even when the main position information cannot be obtained from the vehicle terminal, the current position of the vehicle can be estimated based on the sub-position information transmitted from the vehicle terminal.

  The process for prompting the voice input is, for example, based on a part that functions as a clock included in the vehicle terminal itself, that the vehicle terminal itself has not been able to acquire main position information for a predetermined first time or more. This may be determined. Further, the process of prompting voice input is performed according to vehicle terminal control in response to the vehicle terminal receiving a notification from the operation management device due to “not receiving main position information from the vehicle terminal for a predetermined time or more”. Department may do.

[Application Example 4]
An operation management system of Application Example 3,
When the vehicle terminal control unit cannot acquire the main position information for a predetermined second time or more, the voice input of information regarding at least one of the state of the route on which the vehicle is moving and the state of the vehicle An operation management system that prompts a passenger of the vehicle to input via the output unit via the output unit.

  According to such an aspect, even when the main position information cannot be obtained from the vehicle terminal, the current position of the vehicle and the point on the route are determined based on the sub-position information and the voice state information transmitted from the vehicle terminal. Can be estimated.

The process for prompting the voice input is, for example, based on a portion that functions as a clock provided in the vehicle terminal itself, that the vehicle terminal itself has not been able to acquire main position information for a predetermined second time or more. This may be determined. Further, the process of prompting voice input is performed according to vehicle terminal control in response to the vehicle terminal receiving a notification from the operation management device due to “not receiving main position information from the vehicle terminal for a predetermined time or more”. Department may do.
Further, the first time and the second time may have any relationship. That is, either the first time or the second time may be greater than the other, or the two may match.

[Application Example 5]
The operation management system according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4,
The vehicle terminal further includes an image acquisition unit capable of capturing the outside of the vehicle terminal and generating image data.
The vehicle terminal control unit controls the vehicle communication unit to cause the operation management device to transmit information obtained based on the image data as image-derived information,
The said management control part is an operation management system which determines the said arrival time further based on the said image origin information, when the said image origin information is received from the said vehicle terminal.

  In such an aspect, not only main position information and sub position information regarding the position of the vehicle terminal, and audio state information regarding the route or the state of the vehicle, but also image-derived information reflecting the external state of the vehicle terminal is used. Thus, the estimated arrival time can be determined. For this reason, the estimated arrival time can be determined in consideration of the influence of the disturbance on the operation state. Therefore, it is possible to determine the predicted arrival time that is closer to the actual arrival time than in the aspect of determining the predicted arrival time without using the image-derived information.

The image data may be data representing a still image or data representing a moving image.
The data for storing “information” can be data in an arbitrary format. For example, the vehicle terminal control unit transmits “image cause information” to the operation management device by transmitting data obtained by performing predetermined processing on the image data obtained via the image acquisition unit. May be. Further, the vehicle terminal control unit may transmit “image cause information” to the operation management apparatus by transmitting “image data” itself.

[Application Example 6]
The operation management system according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5,
The vehicle terminal is a mobile phone;
The said position acquisition part is an operation management system which produces | generates the said main position information further based on the information received from the base station of a mobile telephone.

According to such an aspect, the mobile terminal and the vehicle operation management system including the vehicle terminal are realized at low cost by using the mobile phone that is the existing hardware and the mobile phone network that is the existing communication network. be able to.
In addition, more accurate main position information can be generated based on information received from a mobile phone base station.

The operation management system further includes a user terminal carried by the user of the operation management system,
It is preferable that the user terminal can output the estimated arrival time to the predetermined position.

  The present invention can also be realized as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 7]
A method of managing the operation of a vehicle operated along a predetermined route,
(A) a step in which a vehicle terminal mounted on the vehicle generates main position information representing a current position of the vehicle terminal;
(B) the vehicle terminal receiving voice input by a passenger of the vehicle;
(C) The vehicle terminal transmits the main position information to an operation management device that determines an expected arrival time of the vehicle to a predetermined position on the route, and is the information input in the step (b). Transmitting the information on the position of the vehicle to the operation management device as sub-position information,
(D) The operation management device refers to route network information representing a set of the route and a standard time required for the vehicle to move along the route, and the main position information and the sub-position information. Determining the expected time of arrival at the predetermined position based on at least one.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, a vehicle terminal, an operation management apparatus, an operation management system, an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and information. PROVIDING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONS OF THE METHOD OR DEVICE, RECORDING MEDIUM CONTAINING THE COMPUTER PROGRAM, DATA DATA INCLUDING THE COMPUTER PROGRAM IN A CARRIER , And the like.

The figure which shows the structure of the operation management system of a present Example. The flowchart which shows operation | movement in 1st Example of the mobile telephone 200v as a vehicle terminal, the operation management server 100, and the mobile telephone 200u as a user terminal. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement in 2nd Example of the mobile telephone 200v as a vehicle terminal, and the operation management server 100. FIG.

A. First embodiment:
A1. overall structure:
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation management system according to the present embodiment. The operation management system of the first embodiment includes an operation management server 100, a mobile phone 200v as a vehicle terminal mounted on a bus Bs operated by a bus company, and a mobile terminal as a user terminal carried by a user Us of the bus Bs. Phone 200u. The mobile phone 200v is mounted on each of a plurality of buses Bs operated by the same bus company. The mobile phone 200u is a user who uses the bus Bs of the above bus company and is a mobile phone carried by the user Us who receives the service provided by the operation management system of this embodiment.

  The mobile phone 200v mounted on each bus includes a GPS unit 201, a display panel 202, an audio output unit 203, a vibration mechanism 204, a communication unit 205, a command input unit 206, a clock unit 209, and a camera unit. 242, microphone unit 244, main control unit 210, and call control unit 220.

  The GPS unit 201 is a unit including an antenna for receiving radio waves from a satellite of GPS (Global Positioning System / Global Positioning System). Based on the radio wave received by the GPS antenna, the GPS unit 201 can generate main position information indicating the current position of the mobile phone 200v. In the present embodiment, a mode of using GPS will be described. However, generation of main position information is not limited to satellite positioning systems other than GPS, such as GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and Galileo, in other words. For example, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) may be used. In the present embodiment, the main position information includes information on the accuracy of the current position represented by the main position information.

  The display panel 202 is a liquid crystal display that can display an image. The voice output unit 203 is a device including a speaker, and is a device that can output a message, a melody, and the like to the user of the mobile phone 200v by voice. The vibration mechanism 204 is a device that can prompt the user of the mobile phone 200v with a predetermined pattern of vibration. In the present specification, the devices 202 to 204 that output images, sounds, and vibrations may be collectively referred to as “output unit”.

  The communication unit 205 can communicate with the operation management server 100 via the Internet INT to transmit and receive information. The command input unit 206 includes a numeric keypad 206a and a cursor key 206b. A user of the mobile phone 200v inputs information to the mobile phone 200v via the numeric keypad 206a and the cursor key 206b.

  The clock unit 209 outputs current time information indicating the current time in response to a request from the main control unit 210. The camera unit 242 can capture the outside of the mobile phone 200v and generate image data. The microphone unit 244 can generate voice data by receiving voice input from the user of the mobile phone 200v. The call control unit 220 is a circuit that performs an incoming call for a call, a voice / electrical signal conversion, and the like. Since the camera unit 242 is on the opposite side of the display panel 202 in the mobile phone 200v, it is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  The main control unit 210 is a control unit for controlling each unit of the mobile phone 200v. The main control unit 210 includes a CPU 211, a RAM 212, and a ROM 213 that are used for these controls. The main control unit 210 controls each unit of the mobile phone 200v by executing the application software 230 on the CPU. For example, the main control unit 210 can transmit data in a predetermined format including the main position information generated by the GPS unit 201 to the operation management server 100 via the communication unit 205. In addition, the main control unit 210 performs a predetermined process on the audio data generated by the microphone unit 244 and the image data generated by the camera unit 242, and transmits the generated data to the operation management server 100 via the communication unit 205. Can be sent. Further, the main control unit 210 controls the output units (display panel 202, audio output unit 203, vibration mechanism 204) based on the data received from the operation management server 100 via the communication unit 205.

  In each bus Bs, the mobile phone 200v can transmit the sound emitted through the sound output unit 203 to the bus driver, and can acquire the voice of the bus driver and the in-car broadcast by the microphone unit 244. Placed in position. Furthermore, at that position, the mobile phone 200v can take a photograph of the state of the bus route with the camera unit 242 in the direction of the sidewalk (stop side) outside the bus Bs. The mobile phone 200v is installed on each bus Bs at a position and an angle that satisfy the above conditions.

  The mobile phone 200u carried by the bus user Us has the same configuration as the mobile phone 200v. However, the mobile phone 200u may be a mobile phone of a different model or manufacturer as long as the mobile phone 200u is configured to have the above-described configurations. Note that the mobile phones 200v may be mobile phones of different models and manufacturers as long as each mobile phone 200v has a configuration that performs the above functions. A configuration of the mobile phone 200v is shown on the lower right side of FIG. Further, on the left side of FIG. 1, the configuration of the mobile phone 200u is shown in a simplified manner. In the mobile phone 200u, configurations corresponding to the configurations of the mobile phone 200v are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The operation management server 100 includes a management communication unit 102, a management control unit 104, and a storage unit 106. The operation management server 100 can communicate with the mobile phones 200v and 200u via the management communication unit 102 and the Internet INT.

  The storage unit 106 stores route network data 108 and operation data 110. The route network data 108 includes node information and arc information. The node information is data representing points such as road intersections, curve start and end points, bus route stops, and the like. The node information includes information on the latitude and longitude of each point. The arc information is information regarding arcs that are roads or route sections between nodes. The route network data 108 further includes bus route information. The bus route information includes information on the nodes of the stops constituting the route and information on arcs of the roads connecting the stops. The bus route information includes information on the standard time required for the bus to move between the stops on the route. The operation data 110 will be described later.

  The management control unit 104 of the operation management server 100 refers to the route network data 108 in the storage unit 106, and based on information such as main position information received from the mobile phone 200v, the current position of each bus and each bus stop Determine the expected arrival time. Then, the operation data 110 is updated to reflect the current position of each bus and the expected arrival time at each bus stop.

  In addition, the operation management server 100 responds to a request from the mobile phone 200v to the mobile phone 200v via the management communication unit 102, the expected arrival time at the bus stop where the user is present, and the current bus next coming to the bus stop. Provide location information. The expected arrival time at the bus stop where the user is and information on the current position of the next bus coming to the bus stop can be obtained by referring to the operation data 110 in the storage unit 106.

  The mobile phone 200v in the present embodiment corresponds to a “vehicle terminal”. The operation management server 100 corresponds to an “operation management device”. The microphone unit 244 of the mobile phone 200v corresponds to a “voice input unit”. The communication unit 205 of the mobile phone 200v corresponds to a “vehicle communication unit”. The main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v corresponds to a “vehicle terminal control unit”. The camera unit 242 of the mobile phone 200v corresponds to an “image acquisition unit”. The display panel 202, the audio output unit 203, and the vibration mechanism 204 of the mobile phone 200v correspond to an “output unit”.

A2. Operation of the operation management system:
FIG. 2 shows operations in the first embodiment of the mobile phone 200v as a vehicle terminal mounted on the bus Bs, the operation management server 100, and the mobile phone 200u as a user terminal carried by the user Us of the bus Bs. It is a flowchart which shows.

  The main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v as a vehicle terminal mounted on the bus Bs repeatedly executes steps S110 to S150 shown on the left side of FIG. In step S <b> 110, the main control unit 210 acquires main position information representing the current position via the GPS unit 201. The processing after step S120 is executed when the current position obtained in step S110 is in a position within a predetermined range. Whether or not the current position is within a predetermined range may be determined by the main control unit 210 inside the mobile phone 200v, or the operation management server 100 may be inquired to receive a determination result. In addition, the function part of the main control part 210 which implement | achieves the function of step S110 is shown as the position acquisition part 231 in FIG.

  In step S <b> 120, the main control unit 210 acquires information on a stop where the bus Bs stops next as voice data via the microphone unit 244. Specifically, the voice of the announcement “Next is XX (stop name)” announced by the driver of the bus Bs in the car is acquired. In addition, the announcement of the stop where bus Bs stops next may be prepared in advance and automatically played.

  In step S120, the main control unit 210 further performs predetermined processing on the audio data obtained via the microphone unit 244 to generate data with a smaller data amount. However, this data holds information necessary for voice recognition processing in the operation management server 100 to acquire the name of the stop. Information necessary to acquire the name of the stop by this voice recognition processing is called “sub-location information”. In addition, acquisition of audio | voice data may be performed with ON of the announcement which guides a bus stop name, and may always be performed. Note that a functional unit of the main control unit 210 that realizes the function of step S120 is shown as a voice acquisition unit 232 in FIG.

  In step S130, the main control unit 210 captures the scenery of the path on the sidewalk side from the bus by the camera unit 242, and acquires image data. Photographing is performed when the bus Bs is in a position where the mobile phone 200v (camera unit 242) can photograph the signboard on which the name of the stop is written. That is, when there is a bus at such a position, the process of step S130 is performed.

  The main control unit 210 further performs predetermined processing on the image data obtained by the camera unit 242 to generate data with a smaller data amount. However, this data holds information necessary for image recognition processing in the operation management server 100 to acquire information on the state near the stop. Information necessary to acquire information related to the state near the bus stop by this image recognition processing is referred to as “image-caused information”.

  In step S140, the main control unit 210, based on the information and data obtained in steps S110 to S130, data including main position information, sub position information, image origin information, and information on the time at which the main position information was acquired. Is transmitted to the operation management server 100. A functional unit of the main control unit 210 that realizes the function of step S140 is shown as a data transmission unit 233 in FIG.

  In step S150, the main control unit 210 determines whether or not the bus Bs is at the end point of the route of the bus based on the main position information obtained in step S110. For specific processing, whether or not the current position of the bus specified by the main position information coincides with the end point may be determined by the main control unit 210 inside the mobile phone 200v, or the main control unit 210 may inquire the operation management server 100 to obtain the result. If the bus Bs is at the end point of the bus route, the process ends. If the bus Bs is not at the end point, the process returns to step S110 again after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous step S110 was performed.

  In the center of FIG. 2, processing executed by the management control unit 104 of the operation management server 100 is shown. The management control unit 104 of the operation management server 100 waits for transmission of data from the mobile phone 200v of each bus Bs in a steady state. In step S210, when the management control unit 104 receives data including main position information, sub position information, and image origin information from the mobile phone 200v on the bus Bs, in step S220, the management position information, sub position information, and image cause information are received. Based on the above, the position of the bus Bs is specified. A functional unit of the management control unit 104 that realizes the function of step S210 is shown as a data reception unit 104a in FIG.

  In step S220, the management control unit 104 performs voice recognition processing on the portion including the sub position information in the data received from the mobile phone 200v, and acquires the sub position information. As a result, the name of the next stop where the bus stops is known. In addition, the stop where a certain bus should stop is predetermined for every route. For this reason, the name of the stop by voice recognition can be specified with relatively high accuracy. If you know the name of the stop where the bus will stop next, you can tell which stop is on the bus route and between which stops.

  Further, in step S220, the management control unit 104 performs image recognition processing on a portion including the image cause information in the data received from the mobile phone 200v, and acquires the image cause information. As the image origin information, for example, there is a stop name obtained from a signboard on which the name of the stop where the bus stops is written. For this reason, the name of the stop where the bus has stopped (or just stopped) can be known by the image recognition processing. In addition, the stop where a certain bus should stop is predetermined for every route. In addition, the scenery to be photographed is a predetermined scenery although the time zone and season are different. For this reason, specification of the name of the stop by image recognition can be performed with comparatively high accuracy. If you know the name of the stop where the bus just stopped, you can see which stop is on the bus route and between which stops.

  In step S220, the management control unit 104 specifies the position of the bus Bs based on the above information, that is, the main position information, the sub position information, and the image origin information. In this embodiment, the bus position can be specified based on the sub position information and the image origin information in addition to the main position information. Therefore, the position on the bus route can be specified even if any of the information includes an error or the position on the bus route cannot be specified from any information.

  In step S230, the management control unit 104 determines a predicted stop time at each subsequent stop of the bus Bs based on the main position information, the sub position information, and the image cause information. The management control unit 104 refers to the operation data 110 and acquires information on a plurality of positions in the past of the bus Bs and the time at that time. Then, based on the determined latest position information and time information in the data obtained from the mobile phone 200v, the past traveling speed of the bus in the current operation is determined.

  Further, in step S230, the management control unit 104 performs image recognition processing on a portion including the image-derived information in the data received from the mobile phone 200v, and whether or not it is raining, whether or not it is snowing, Determine if there is snow on the road. When it is raining, the moving speed of the bus is slower than when it is not raining. When it is snowing, the moving speed of the bus is slower than when it is not snowing. When there is snow, the moving speed of the bus is slower than when there is no snow. In addition, the stop where a certain bus should stop is predetermined for every route. In addition, the scenery to be photographed is a predetermined scenery although the time zone and season are different. For this reason, the above-described determination of rainfall, snowfall, snowfall, and the like by image recognition can be performed with relatively high accuracy.

  Based on these pieces of information, the management control unit 104 determines the pace of bus progress on the subsequent route. Then, the management control unit 104 refers to the route network data 108 to obtain the required travel time for the standard section, and further determines the past traveling speed of the bus and the pace of progress depending on the weather. Reflecting this, the expected arrival time of each bus Bs after that is determined. Then, the bus operation data 110 is updated, and the position information and the expected arrival time at each stop are reflected in the latest of the bus. In the operation data 110, for each bus, a route (route) on which the bus should move, a stop to stop, information on past positions, times at each position, and estimated arrival times at each stop are stored. . In addition, the function part of the management control part 104 which implement | achieves the function of step S220,230 is shown as the data update part 104b in FIG.

  In this embodiment, since the processes of steps S220 and S230 are performed, the predicted arrival time and the bus position information of the bus operation data 110 held by the operation management server 100 always reflect the actual state. Will be expensive.

  The right side of FIG. 2 shows processing in the mobile phone 200u as a user terminal carried by the user Us of the bus Bs. In step S310, the user waiting for the bus at the bus stop (see the lower left in FIG. 1) operates the command input unit 206 of the mobile phone 200u to request bus prediction information from the operation management server 100. . Specifically, upon receiving an instruction from the user, first, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200 u acquires information on the current position of the mobile phone 200 u via the GPS unit 201. In addition, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200 u acquires information on the current time from the clock unit 209. Then, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200u transmits a request for prediction data to the operation management server 100 via the communication unit 205 together with the current position information and current time information.

  If the management control unit 104 of the operation management server 100 receives a request for operation prediction data from the mobile phone 200u in step S240 within a predetermined time after the process of step S230, the process of step S250 is performed. After the process of step S230, when the request | requirement of operation prediction data is not received from the mobile telephone 200u within predetermined time, it returns to the process of step S210.

  In step S250, the management control unit 104 identifies the stop where the user is based on the information on the current location received from the mobile phone 200u while referring to the node information of the stop in the route network data 108. Then, the management control unit 104 determines the route of the bus that stops at the stop with reference to the route network data 108. Further, the management control unit 104 refers to the operation data 110 and specifies the bus that is scheduled to stop at the stop. Then, the management control unit 104 determines the latest position of the next bus that reaches the bus stop and the arrival time of the bus with reference to the operation data 110. Then, the management control unit 104 generates prediction data including information on the latest position of the next bus that reaches the bus stop and the arrival time at the bus stop.

  In step S260, the management control unit 104 transmits prediction data to the mobile phone 200u via the management communication unit 102. Thereafter, the process returns to step S210.

  In step S320, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200u receives prediction data from the operation management server 100. In step S330, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200u displays, on the display panel 202, information on the position of the next bus that reaches the stop and the expected arrival time based on the prediction data. In addition, the position of the bus is displayed as, for example, “Δ △ (passage name) passed”. The bus position may be displayed on the map based on data transmitted from the operation management server 100.

  By performing the processing as described above, the user can obtain the latest position of the next bus and the expected arrival time based on a highly accurate prediction. As a result, depending on the expected arrival time of the bus, alternative means for replacing the bus such as walking or taxi can be examined, and it is also possible to determine whether or not there is time for shopping. That is, the convenience of the user when using the bus route is increased.

  In the above, as an example, a case has been described in which the mobile phone 200v and one mobile phone 200u mounted on one bus communicate with the operation management server 100. However, in the operation management system of the first embodiment, the operation management server 100 can receive data from the mobile phones 200v of a plurality of buses and transmit data to the plurality of mobile phones 200u.

B. Second embodiment:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing operations in the second embodiment of the mobile phone 200v as a vehicle terminal and the operation management server 100. Since the operation of the mobile phone 200u as the user terminal is the same as that of the first embodiment, the illustration is omitted in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the process of the mobile phone 200v mounted on the bus Bs has step S105 instead of step S110. Moreover, the process of the operation management server 100 has step S215, S217 instead of step S220. Furthermore, the process of the mobile phone 200v mounted on the bus Bs includes steps S410 to S440 as a routine different from steps S105 to S150. The other points of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  In step S105, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v as a vehicle terminal mounted on the bus Bs determines whether or not the main position information could not be acquired by the GPS unit 201 within a predetermined time. If the main position information cannot be acquired via the GPS unit 201 within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S410. If the main position information has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S120. The processing after step S120 is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Moreover, the management control part 104 of the operation management server 100 performs the process of step S215 after receiving data from the mobile phone 200v in step S210. In step S215, the management control unit 104 determines whether the position of the bus Bs has been identified based on the data from the mobile phone 200v. If the position of the bus Bs cannot be specified based on the data from the mobile phone 200v, the process proceeds to step S217. If the position of the bus Bs can be specified, the process proceeds to step S230. The processes after step S230 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In step S217, the management control unit 104 of the operation management server 100 requests sub-location information from the mobile phone 200v mounted on the bus Bs. Specifically, the management control unit 104 requests processed voice data including sub-position information from which the name of the stop can be acquired by voice recognition processing to the mobile phone 200v. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S410.

  In step S410, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v emits a warning sound from the voice output unit 203 and displays a warning on the display panel 202 to prompt the driver of the bus. Thereafter, the warning sound and the warning display are stopped, the name of the next stop is clearly pronounced, and a message prompting voice input to the mobile phone 200v via the microphone unit 244 is displayed on the display panel 202.

  In step S420, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v acquires voice data in response to voice input to the microphone unit 244 by the driver who pronounced the name of the next stop. Specifically, the driver of the bus Bs pronounces a voice “XX (stop name).” The main control unit 210 acquires the voice data. At this time, the main control unit 210 also acquires information on the current time from the clock unit 209.

  Then, the main control unit 210 performs predetermined processing on the audio data to generate data with a smaller data amount. This data includes sub-position information necessary for obtaining the name of the stop by voice recognition processing. Note that the voice data acquired in step S420 is data obtained by voice input after prompting the user to pronounce clearly with a warning. For this reason, the voice data acquired in step S420 is more likely to be able to acquire the name of the stop by voice recognition processing than the voice data acquired in step S120 in a steady state.

  In step S440, the main control unit 210 generates data including the sub position information and information on the time at which the sub position information was acquired based on the data obtained in step S420, and transmits the data to the operation management server 100. Thereafter, the process of the main control unit 210 returns to step S105.

  The operation management server 100 receives the data (step S440) transmitted from the mobile phone 200v in step S210. In step S215, when data is received through the processing of steps S410 to S440, the management control unit 104 attempts to specify the position of the bus Bs based only on the sub position information. The following processing is the same as the processing of the first embodiment and the processing of the second embodiment described so far.

  By performing such a process, in the mobile phone 200v, when the main position information cannot be acquired via the GPS by a steady process (see step S105), in the operation management server 100, a steady process is performed. Even if the position of the bus Bs cannot be specified by (step S215), the position of the bus Bs can be specified based on the audio information. For this reason, the operation management of a more reliable vehicle can be performed.

C. Variations:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

C1. Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, the main position information is acquired at regular intervals in the steady state. Audio data and image data are acquired when the current position is within a predetermined range. However, these pieces of information can also be acquired at other timings.

  For example, when a vehicle terminal mounted on a vehicle includes an acceleration sensor, the timing for acquiring audio data or image data may be determined according to the acceleration. For example, when the vehicle is stopped, image data can be acquired. In such an aspect, it is particularly preferable to set the vehicle terminal so that a photograph or a moving image of a signboard or the like on which a stop name is described can be taken.

  Further, it is preferable to set the vehicle terminal so that a photograph or a moving image can be taken when the vehicle is decelerated and the speed falls below a certain range close to zero. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the vehicle is approaching the stop, and there is a high possibility that a photograph or a movie including the stop can be taken. In addition, at such timing, there is a high possibility that a stop name will be announced. Therefore, it is also preferable that the voice data is acquired at such timing.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to set the vehicle terminal so that a photograph or a moving image can be taken when the speed is from 0 to a certain range or more. In such a case, there is a high possibility that the vehicle has departed from the stop, and there is a high possibility that a photograph or a movie including the stop can be taken. In addition, at such timing, there is a high possibility that the next stop name will be announced. Therefore, it is also preferable that the voice data is acquired at such timing.

C2. Modification 2:
In the above-described embodiment, the voice data and the image data are processed in the mobile phone 200v, data having a smaller data amount is generated, and the operation management server 100 performs recognition processing on the data. . However, the image recognition process for the image data and the voice recognition process for the sound data may be performed by the vehicle terminal or the operation management device. Moreover, you may carry out by sharing with a vehicle terminal and an operation management apparatus.

C3. Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, the vehicle terminal 200v receives voice input from the in-car broadcast or the bus driver, and prompts the bus driver to input voice as necessary. However, the person who performs voice input to the vehicle terminal 200v and outputs from the vehicle terminal 200v is not limited to the driver of the vehicle, and may be a conductor. Further, in a traffic system in which unmanned driving is performed, the person who performs voice input to the vehicle terminal 200v and outputs the vehicle terminal 200v may be an unspecified passenger boarding the vehicle. It is preferable that the person who performs voice input to the vehicle terminal 200v and outputs the vehicle terminal 200v is a person who is on the vehicle and in a range where the output performed by the vehicle terminal 200v can be received.

  In an aspect in which voice output, image output, or the like can be output to the passenger, the operation management server simultaneously arrives at a stop where the vehicle subsequently stops in steps S230, S250, and S260 in FIG. It is preferable to generate information on the scheduled time and transmit it to the vehicle terminal spontaneously. And based on the data received from the operation management server, it is preferable that a vehicle terminal outputs the information of the estimated arrival time of the stop where a vehicle stops after that with an audio | voice output, an image output, etc. to a passenger.

  If it is set as such an aspect, the passenger of a vehicle can also know the arrival time of the stop where a vehicle stops after that. Further, in this manner, if the passenger is notified of the estimated arrival time at the stop in the steady state, the passenger is expected to arrive accurately when the passenger is not in the steady state, that is, when the main position information cannot be obtained. It becomes impossible to know the time. For this reason, in the aspect which urges the passenger to make a voice input to the vehicle terminal when the main position information cannot be obtained as described above, the passenger becomes more cooperative with the voice input to the vehicle terminal. . In such an aspect, when prompting the passenger to input a voice to the vehicle terminal, it is preferable to issue a warning that “there is no accurate prediction of the arrival time without a voice input”.

  In addition, instead of notifying the passenger of the scheduled arrival time at the bus stop regularly, it is also possible to notify the passenger of the estimated arrival time at the bus stop when cooperating with voice input to the vehicle terminal. In such an aspect, when prompting the passenger to input a voice to the vehicle terminal, a message stating “If a voice input is made, the arrival time at the future stop will be notified” is output. It is preferable.

C4. Modification 4:
In the second embodiment, additional data is requested both when the GPS main position information cannot be obtained (see step S105) and when the vehicle position cannot be specified based on the data (see step S215). . However, an aspect in which additional data is requested only in one of the cases can be employed.

  In the second embodiment, the main control unit 210 of the mobile phone 200v executes the processes of steps S410 to S440 when the main position information cannot be acquired by the GPS unit 201. That is, the driver of the bus is prompted to input voice to the mobile phone 200v, and voice data of the name of the next stop is acquired.

  However, even when the main position information cannot be acquired, the processes of steps S120 to S140 are executed as they are, and the sub-position information, the image origin information, and the information are obtained based on the information and data obtained in steps S120 and S130. It is also possible to generate data including information on the time when the information is acquired and transmit the data to the operation management server 100. Even in such an aspect, even when the main position information cannot be acquired, the position of the vehicle can be specified based on the audio data (sub-position information) and the image data (image-derived information).

  Furthermore, even when any two of main position information, audio data (sub-position information), and image data (image-caused information) cannot be acquired, the process of step S140 is performed as it is. Based on the received information and data, data including any of main position information, sub-position information, and image origin information, and information on the time when the information was acquired is generated and transmitted to the operation management server 100. You can also. If it is set as such an aspect, even if some information cannot be acquired, the position of a vehicle can be specified.

C5. Modification 5:
In the above-described embodiment, information regarding the presence / absence of rainfall, snowfall, and snowfall is used as the state information. However, it is preferable that information regarding the state of the route along which the vehicle moves and the state of the vehicle can be used by voice input.

  For example, the voice status information may be input in a route caused by the weather, such as “Ame (rain)”, “Yuki (snow)”, “Cough (snow)”, “Kozui (flood)”. It can be set as the aspect which inputs the information regarding a state by voice. Further, it is possible to adopt a mode in which information relating to the state of the route caused by another vehicle, such as “jyutai (traffic jam)”, “has a traffic accident” (traffic accident), and the like is input. In addition, information regarding the state of the own vehicle such as “pepper (failure)”, “gasket (gas shortage)”, “kotsuujikohassei (traffic accident occurrence)”, and the like can be input.

  These pieces of information are extracted from the voice data by voice recognition and can be used to determine the expected time. In a predetermined case, the operation management system preferably performs a process for prompting the input of such information as in the case of the sub-location information.

  Voice input is performed by inputting predetermined terms in a hierarchical order from the large concept to the small concept, and the voice recognition process in the operation management server is performed by matching data according to the size and type of the concept. It is preferable to carry out switching. For example, in voice input, first, “Ame (rain)”, “Yuki (snow)”, “sleet”, or “are” is inputted as a general concept. And other words are not input. Then, as a small concept, for example, if the big concept was “Ame (Rain)”, then “Oh Ame (Heavy Rain)”, “Normal (Normal)”, “Kosame (Light Rain)” To input. And other words are not input.

  In the operation management server, first, referring to the high-concept data for comparison, the first voice data is “Ame (rain)”, “Yuki (snow)”, “Misore”, “Aare”. Decide if there is. At that time, the reference data for the small concept is not referred to. Then, if the first voice data is “Ame (rain)”, the next voice data is “Ome (heavy rain)” by referring to the collation data for the small concept for “Rain”. ”,“ Ordinary (normal) ”, or“ kosame (light rain) ”. At that time, the small concept matching data for “snow”, the small concept matching data for “sleet”, and the small concept matching data for “are” are not referred to.

  With such an aspect, compared to an aspect in which all words can be input as voice data in any order, the amount of data used for collation referred to during voice recognition in the operation management server may be small. it can. For this reason, the memory capacity required in the operation management server can be reduced. In addition, the types of words to be determined as a result of speech recognition are limited in advance and are further limited by hierarchy and type, so that speech recognition can be performed accurately. The concept hierarchy may be three or more.

  It should be noted that it is preferable that the voice state information is configured such that a person on the vehicle can spontaneously input to the vehicle terminal even when the input is not prompted. In particular, it is not easy to identify the state of the route caused by the own vehicle or another vehicle by image recognition, and therefore it is preferable that a human can input it to the vehicle terminal spontaneously. However, when an operator is present, it is also possible to acquire state information regarding the state of the route caused by the host vehicle or another vehicle based on the image data.

C6. Modification 6:
In the second embodiment, the input or transmission of audio data is prompted in a predetermined case (see steps S410 and S217 in FIG. 3). However, it is also possible to have an aspect in which image data is input or transmitted in a predetermined case. With such an aspect, for example, even when an abnormality occurs in the driver, information can be obtained without depending on the driver.

  In the second embodiment, the input and transmission of the sub-position information are prompted in a predetermined case (see steps S410 and S217 in FIG. 3). However, in a predetermined case, it is also possible to adopt a mode in which voice input or transmission of voice state information indicating the state of the route along which the vehicle moves or the state of the vehicle is prompted.

  Furthermore, when the average moving speed of the vehicle in a predetermined time section (for example, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, etc.) falls below a predetermined threshold, input of sub-position information and voice state information is encouraged. Is also preferable.

C7. Modification 7:
In the above embodiment, the operation management system determines the expected arrival time of the bus to the stop. However, in the operation management system, the target for determining the expected arrival time is not limited to a stop or a station. For example, in a transportation system in which a user requests a vehicle driver or operation manager to stop the vehicle at any location on the route and board the vehicle, the vehicle operation such as in front of any landmark or retail store It can be a predetermined location on the route.

C8. Modification 8:
In the above embodiment, the output unit that provides information to the user is configured as the display panel 202, the audio output unit 203, and the vibration mechanism 204 (see FIG. 1). However, the output unit can output information in the form of a printed matter, or can output information with unevenness constituting Braille. The output unit only needs to be able to provide information to the user in some form such as an image, sound, touch, or vibration.

C9. Modification 9:
In the above-described embodiment, a system is used in which a current position is identified by receiving radio waves from a GPS (Global Positioning System / Global Positioning System) satellite. The position acquisition unit as a component of the guidance device may be based on any principle or use a system operated by any institution as long as the current position can be specified. However, the receiver side device receives the information transmitted by radio from multiple external locations (for example, multiple artificial satellites or multiple base stations of a mobile phone network) and receives them based on the information. It is preferable that the system can identify the current position of the device on the user side.

  For example, the position acquisition unit may calculate the distances from the base stations of a plurality of mobile phones based on the radio waves of the mobile phones and acquire the current position based on those values. A plurality of systems, for example, a system using GPS and a system using a mobile phone base station may be used in combination.

C10. Modification 10:
In the above embodiment, an example of bus operation management has been described. However, the above operation management system can be applied to a traffic system that operates on a predetermined route such as a tram or a ship.

C11. Modification 11:
In the above embodiment, the operation management system includes the operation management server 100 and the mobile phones 200v and 200u as its components. However, for example, the operation management server 100 may be configured by a plurality of servers.

  That is, the operation management system may be one device in which each component is housed in one housing. The operation management system can also be configured as two or more devices whose constituent elements are connected to each other by a data communication line. For each function such as a function for determining the position of the vehicle and a function for determining the estimated arrival time, one or more arbitrary functions can be assigned to each device. Each function may be realized by one device, or two or more devices may be realized in cooperation. In an aspect in which two or more components are connected by a communication line, the output unit that outputs information to the bus driver or user is carried by the bus driver or user, respectively. It is preferable.

  In addition, in the said Example, it demonstrated using the example which uses a mobile telephone as a user terminal carried by the person who uses a vehicle, and a vehicle terminal mounted in a vehicle. However, as user terminals and vehicle terminals, various portable terminals such as PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and PND (Personal Navigation Device) that can perform data communication including transmission / reception of voice data and image data via a network are used. Can be adopted. For example, as the vehicle terminal, a device that is fixed to the vehicle and has a function similar to that of the mobile phone in the above embodiment can be used.

C12. Modification 12:
In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware. For example, a part of the function of the application software 230 (FIG. 1) can be executed by the control circuit.

  A computer program for realizing such a function is provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. The host computer reads the computer program from the recording medium and transfers it to the internal storage device or the external storage device. Alternatively, the computer program may be supplied from the program supply device to the host computer via a communication path. When realizing the function of the computer program, the computer program stored in the internal storage device is executed by the microprocessor of the host computer. Further, the host computer may directly execute the computer program recorded on the recording medium.

  In this specification, the host computer is a concept including a hardware device and an operation system, and means a hardware device that operates under the control of the operation system. The computer program causes such a host computer to realize the functions of the above-described units. Note that some of the functions described above may be realized by an operation system instead of an application program.

  In the present invention, the “computer-readable recording medium” is not limited to a portable recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, but an internal storage device in a computer such as various RAMs and ROMs, An external storage device fixed to a computer such as a hard disk is also included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Operation management server 102 ... Management communication part 104 ... Management control part 106 ... Memory | storage part 108 ... Route network data 110 ... Operation data 200u ... Mobile phone 200v ... Mobile phone 201 ... GPS unit 202 ... Display panel 203 ... Audio | voice output part 204 ... Vibration mechanism 205 ... Communication unit 206 ... Command input unit 206a ... Numeric keypad 206b ... Cursor key 209 ... Timer unit 210 ... Main control unit 211 ... CPU
212 ... RAM
213 ... ROM
220 ... Call control unit 230 ... Application software 242 ... Camera unit 244 ... Microphone unit Bs ... Bus INT ... Internet

Claims (5)

A vehicle operation management system,
A terminal device mounted on the vehicle;
An operation management device configured to be communicable with the terminal device and managing the operation of the vehicle,
The terminal device
Means for obtaining first information indicating a current position of the terminal device;
Means for obtaining second information representing at least one of surrounding sounds and images in the terminal device,
The operation management device is
Means for receiving the first information and the second information from the terminal device;
Based on at least one of the ambient sound and image in the terminal apparatus and the current position, shown in the second information of the terminal apparatus shown in the first information received from the terminal device, of the vehicle Means for identifying the position ;
Means for determining at least one of a state of a route along which the vehicle travels and a state of the vehicle based on the second information;
Based on the position of the vehicle specified based on the first information and the second information, and at least one of the state of the route and the state of the vehicle determined based on the second information And a means for determining an estimated time of arrival at a position where the vehicle should move . The operation management system according to claim 1 ,
The terminal device further includes:
Means for receiving information indicating the estimated arrival time from the operation management device;
Means for outputting information indicating the estimated arrival time received from the operation management device in a recognizable manner by a user of the terminal device. The operation management system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The terminal device further includes means for prompting a user to input the second information when the first information cannot be acquired.
When the first information cannot be received from the terminal device, the means for identifying the position of the vehicle is based on at least one of surrounding sounds and images in the terminal device indicated by the second information. An operation management system that identifies the location of vehicles. An operation management device for managing the operation of a vehicle,
Means for communicating with a terminal device mounted on the vehicle;
Means for receiving from the terminal device first information indicating the current position of the terminal device;
Means for receiving from the terminal device second information representing at least one of surrounding sounds and images in the terminal device;
Based on at least one of the ambient sound and image in the terminal apparatus and the current position, shown in the second information of the terminal apparatus shown in the first information received from the terminal device, of the vehicle Means for identifying the position;
Means for determining at least one of a state of a route along which the vehicle travels and a state of the vehicle based on the second information;
Based on the position of the vehicle specified based on the first information and the second information, and at least one of the state of the route and the state of the vehicle determined based on the second information And a means for determining an estimated time of arrival at a position where the vehicle should move . An operation management method for managing the operation of a vehicle,
A terminal device mounted on a vehicle acquires first information indicating a current position of the terminal device, and second information representing at least one of surrounding sounds and images in the terminal device,
The operation management device that manages the operation of the vehicle receives the first information and the second information from the terminal device,
The traffic control device, and the current position of the terminal apparatus shown in the first information received from the terminal device, the at least one of the ambient sound and image in the terminal device shown in the second information Based on the location of the vehicle ,
Based on the second information, determine at least one of a state of a route along which the vehicle moves and a state of the vehicle;
Based on the position of the vehicle specified based on the first information and the second information, and at least one of the state of the route and the state of the vehicle determined based on the second information An operation management method for determining an estimated arrival time at which the vehicle should move .

Images